9 Anti-Aging Foods You Should Be Eating Every Day

Hey, J.J. here.

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I'm JJ Virgin, Ph.D. dropout. Sorry, mom turned four time New York Times bestselling author. Yes, I'm a certified Nutrition specialist, Fitness hall of Famer, and I speak at health conferences and trainings around the globe. But I'm driven by my insatiable curiosity and love of science to keep asking questions, digging for answers, and sharing the information I uncover with as many people as I can. And that's why I created the well Beyond 40 podcast to synthesize and simplify the science of health into actionable strategies to help you thrive. In each episode, we'll talk about what's working in the world of wellness, from personalized nutrition and healing your metabolism to healthy aging and prescriptive fitness. Join me on the journey to better health so you can love how you look and feel right now and have the energy to play full out at 100.

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The secret to staying young can be found right in your kitchen. These are the nine anti aging foods you'll want to make sure you're eating every day to support your skin health and retain that youthful glow. Best news is these are foods you're going to actually like. Okay, so number one is protein. Now, I take a protein first approach with my meals and it's especially important as you age because protein is for rebuilding. It provides the amino acids you need to build muscle, bone, and have great hair, skin and nails and make and carry hormones and much more than that. Two amino acids specifically that protein provides. Lysine and proline, help support your body's collagen production.

As you probably are figuring out, aging.

Decreases the synthesis of collagen, making your skin thinner and more prone to damage. And as we age, it also becomes more difficult for our body to utilize dietary protein, so our requirements for it actually go up. So the current RDA was created decades ago. It was created so that we got the minimum that we needed. It shouldn't be called the Recommended Dietary Allowance, should be called the Minimum Dietary Allowance because it's not about optimal. You're going to want to Double the current RDA to get the optimal amount, which is about 0.8 grams per pound.

Of ideal body Weight.

Now, if you're over 30 or you have chronic stress, I think I've pretty much named everybody. You're going to supplement with digestive enzymes because your stomach acid declines as you get older and you are what you absorb. So you want to make sure you're actually using all the protein you eat. Okay? Now number two is fish and fish oil. So omega 3 fatty acids are so key for glowing skin. Healthy fats are essential for this. Now, good fats are going to support your healthy cell membranes, are going to help prevent skin dryness, they're going to nourish your skin and much more than that. There was a study in 2020 that was published in the Frontiers in Immunology. And what they found was that omega 3 fatty acids provide anti inflammatory and support various ant anti inflammatory conditions, including psoriasis. And in another study published in the Journal of Cutaneous Medicine and surgery in 2020, the researchers concluded with the following. Given its high safety profile, low cost and ease of supplementation, supplementing with omega 3 fatty acids is a reasonable supplement that may benefit patients wishing to provide improve rather inflammatory skin conditions through the diet. By the way, they're always so cautious.

How they say that, that basically said.

Hey, you should supplement with omega 3s. They're going to be good, they're safe. Then there was a study in molecular psychiatry in July 2021 that showed that higher levels of omega 3 fatty acids lower inflammation, lower cortisol levels, and support longer telomeres, all of which slow aging. Telomeres are made from DNA sequences and proteins. They're found at the ends of chromosomes. They cap and protect the end of a chromosome, like the end of a shoelace. Telomeres tend to shorten as we get older, which can impact the aging process. Researchers have found that protecting and maintaining telomeres is a key anti aging strategy. Now, my fish of choice is wild salmon because of its astaxanthin. That's what makes it that pink color. And that astaxanthin is this powerful antioxidant that fights aging, improves the texture and appearance of your skin, and has higher antioxidant production when compared with other antioxidants. Plus it promotes healthy inflammatory responses that can support skin health. So eat clean wild fish and especially eat salmon for the astaxanthin. And take fish oil too. Now, if you're eating five or more servings of clean wild fish a week, cool, you probably don't need to supplement, but I find that most of us don't. So I take omega ultras by Reignite Wellness every single day. And what's great about them is they are in this super bioavailable triglyceride form. That's what you want to look for. Next up, when I think of this one, number three, I think of my buddy Dr. Stephen Gundry who says the only purpose of food is to get olive oil into your mouth. I don't know, that might be a little bit extreme. But I think the only purpose for me of arugula is to get a load of olive oil into my mouth. So when I think of olive oil, I always think of the blue zones. And two of the longest living people group in the blue zones use, get this, a liter of olive oil per week. So what's so great about extra virgin olive oil? It's the polyphenols. The polyphenols contain antioxidants that calm redness and skin irritation. And there's an antioxidant called oleocanthal that may reduce inflammation and swelling associated with everything from rosacea to sinus infections. Oleocanthal in virgin olive oil processes similar anti inflammatory properties to ibuprofen. Extra virgin olive oil, I keep saying extra virgin because that's the type I want you to get. Contains vitamin E, which is an anti inflammatory antioxidant. Protects cells from damage and olive oil also improves stress induced aging signs, including thinner skin. That's the inner layer of the two main layers of the skin, the thinner dermis and collagen fiber loss. And I'll tell you, like when I'm looking at my fat intake every single day, I make sure that I do a big salad every day, usually arugula. I've been really hooked on arugula lately and that's where I use my extra virgin olive oil. It's one to two tablespoons a day. Now here's what's important. All olive oil is not created equal. You want to do extra virgin because that's that first press. You want the first press because that's the best stuff, that's the least processed stuff. Because when you start the machine harvesting and the processing with heat, then you damage all the little delicate compounds in olive oil that give you all the great health benefits. Next up, blueberries. My gosh, those little blueberries. I eat blueberries every single day. They are super antioxidant powerhouses and they have great antioxidants that neutralize free radicals. Free radicals are toxins that can damage the cells and contribute to aging. Blueberries are also anti inflammatory and they have these Anthocyanins, which stabilize the collagen matrix and protect against wrinkles and protect collagen formation too. Population based studies that show what the big risk factors are for disease find that regularly consuming blueberries or the anthocyanins in blueberries. But I'm like, why would you do that? Just eat the blueberries can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, reduce the risk of death, reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes and improve weight maintenance. They also protect your brain. And there's another study that shows that blueberries support good blood sugar management, that the consumption of fresh blueberries improves postprandial. That means after you eat blood sugar management. And they were looking there at the impact of 150 grams of blueberries. That's about 3,4 of a a cup versus 150 grams of white bread. And guess what? The blueberries won. No big surprise there, right? But they did that. They had people eat that for six days and they found that people had way better blood sugar response with the blueberries. And here's what's important, because stable blood sugar is key for having great skin. If your blood sugar is too high, it actually makes your skin dry. The stability is going to give you more skin moisture and youthfulness. So that's really important. When there's too much sugar in the blood, the body does what it needs to do to stabilize, to get back to normal levels. So that happens by producing insulin. And it also pulls fluid from your cells, which means that you're going to be peeing out the excess sugar. But when it does that, the pulling fluid from your cells makes your skin dry. All right, next one is broccoli. And broccoli has got glucoraphanin. It is a chemical that converts to sulforaphane. And you've heard of sulforaphane in broccoli. This is found in cruciferous vegetables. So when I think broccoli, I think Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower. This sulforaphane. And sulforaphane is critical. It's super great for skin repair, for cell turnover, for great glowing skin. In fact, there was a 2019 study in Geroscience where it looked at the antioxidant, anti inflammatory and anti aging properties of sulforaphane and found that they could increase the lifespan of cells. They found that sulforaphane and cruciferous vegetables activates antioxidants responses and activates anti inflammatory responses, may protect against UV damage as well. I mean, this is like incredible stuff. Now I will tell you that I eat broccoli at least three times a week. And the way that I do it is I steam it and then I do a little bit of ghee. The other thing that I'll do is I have frozen broccoli rice and frozen cauliflower rice. So I'll mix those two together and then at the end, after they're done cooking, I'll use some extra virgin olive oil. Now, if you can eat broccoli sprouts, I'm going to give you bonus points for this, the next one. And this is something that I drink every single day. And that's green tea. Green tea is an antioxidant. It's antioxidant, inflammatory, and it reduces inflammation. It's anti androgenic. It can slow or stop acne. I mean, that is huge. It also can improve skin elasticity. There was a 2022 animal study and scientific report that found that EGCG, that's the active compound in green tea, can improve skin elasticity and collagen fibers. And in a 2017 study published in the journal Mechanisms of Aging and Development found that EGCG can help fight wrinkles and rejuvenate skin skin cells. So green tea can have a favorable impact on your blood sugar, improves insulin sensitivity. This was another meta analysis of 17 studies that was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. And drinking green tea can also support gut health by supporting healthy gut bacteria and reducing the impact of harmful gut bacteria. Now, what does that have to do with your skin when you're not insulin sensitive? When your body gets pummeled by too much sugar and insulin levels stay high, your skin is going to take a hit. A 2017 study published in Dermatology and Therapy concluded insulin resistance can create skin problems. We tend to neglect the impact of insulin resistance on our skin, but its manifestations include acne and other skin problems. Same with our gut. Some skin conditions, like psoriasis and eczema, are intricately linked to gut problems, as your skin has its own microbiome, just like your gut does. When your skin or gut microbiome fall out of balance, a condition called dysbiosis results. A study in the journal Microorganisms found that dysbiosis could contribute to skin diseases, including atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, acne, dandruff, and skin cancer. All right, turmeric. So when I'm talking turmeric, I'm really talking about curcumin, the active part of turmeric. And curcumin is a potent anti Inflammatory. It can prevent DNA damage and can help with DNA repair. So what does DNA damage really look like? According to Michael Greger, M.D. the average person is going to show about 6, 7% DNA damage in a tissue sample. But when you expose those cells to free radicals, that increases to 10% if you're eating turmeric. Researchers found that DNA damage was cut in half, and it only took about an eighth of a teaspoon a day of turmeric to get these protective effects. That's amazing. A 2019 study shows curcumin could delay symptoms of aging. It can increase lifespan, alleviate aging symptoms, postpone the progression of age related diseases in which cellular senescence is directly involved. Now, senescent cells are essentially cells that have aged but they haven't died, and they accumulate as you age. Sprinkle turmeric. So use it on your soups and your shoes and your sauces. Maybe you throw it in your smoothie. You want to have about 500 to 1,000 milligrams a day of turmeric. Now, what I do is I will use it when I'm cooking with good turmeric, healthy fats. Because it's fat soluble, you need the fat to absorb it. But I also take my curcumin chews every single day to make sure that I'm getting a therapeutic amount and that I'm actually absorbing it. Because you can see the big results that it has, especially for inflammation. You want to make sure you're getting this one in every single day. And especially if you don't like the taste of it, you're going to want to make sure you supplement with it. All right, here's the other one. This is what I do every single day. After I meditate in the morning, I wake up, I meditate, and then I immediately have a cup of coffee. And coffee is a major source of dietary antioxidants. There was a study in the Journal of Drugs and Dermatology that found that antioxidants help fight free radical damage and can help maintain healthy skin. And two of the antioxidants responsible for coffee's health benefits are chlorogenic acid and caffeic acid. So coffee drinkers can adjust as much as 1 gram of chlorogenic acid and 500 milligrams of caffeic acid on a daily basis. That's just from drinking coffee alone. How cool is that? And caffeic acid can boost collagen levels and reduce premature aging of cells. There's one study that was published in 2015 in the International Journal Dermatology found that coffee can protect against sun damage. Coffee helps protect human skin from photo aging. And that's when the sun damages and ages your skin.

And.

And the polyphenols, including that chlorogenic acid, may lower skin spotting. And that's where you get the dark spots. I'm looking at my hands. The dark spots on your skin that look darker than others. And those polyphenols and coffee also can prevent premature aging and also lower some of that pigmented spots, the hyperpigmentation. So here's the thing, though. With all of these things, there's a dose, right? But with this one, there's especially a dose because you do not want to do coffee later in the day, all right? The next one I know is going to be really hard for you to incorporate, and that is dark chocolate. First thing, of course, with dark chocolate is you want one with a high cacao content. So you want to have organic, high quality, high cacao content. I'm looking for 85% cacao or higher. I've actually found ones that are 90, 99% and even 100% cacao. So see what the highest is that you can actually still enjoy and tolerate and go for that. And you really want it sweetened, ideally with allulose or stevia or erythritol or monk fruit. And if it does have sugar, the limit is 5 grams per serving. And remember, the bar is not a serving. Okay, not a serving. So generally, the dose you're going to want for dark chocolate is one or two ounces a day. So usually if you're getting a bar, it's probably a quarter of the bar, not the bar important. What's so great about dark chocolate? Besides it tastes amazing. It's high in antioxidants, especially flavanols, which are special little type of flavonoids that can protect against sun damage and wrinkles. By the way, cocoa beans are actually higher than green tea. Goji berries, blueberries, like all these things that you've heard you need to be consuming actually trumps that. So I'm doing now a scoop of this cacao in my coffee every morning after I've broken my fast. That's one of the ways that I do. I have a little dark chocolate mocha every day.

Totally love it.

Let me tell you about a study published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology that compared conventional dark chocolate to one high in flavanols. And it showed that nutritional protections against sun damage, that regular consumption of a chocolate rich in flavanols can be effective at protecting human skin from harmful UV effects. Whereas conventional chocolate didn't do it. It was this really flavanol rich dark chocolate. It can also improve blood flow to the top layer of the skin, which keeps it from drying out and getting wrinkles. Bone broth. Oh my gosh. Bone broth made famous by one of my best friends, Dr. Kellyanne Petrucci. So you probably heard about it. Bone broth is awesome because it has these amino acids proline and lysine and arginine and glutamine. And these help heal skin cells and connective tissue and especially the lining of our GI tract. So it helps heal and seal your gut. Super important. As we've already talked about, your gut health directly impacts your skin health. So bone broth is one way to do this. I always keep some in my freezer, but the way I get in my bone broth every single day, it's kind of a cheat is I do my Reignite Wellness Paleo shake. I also add in extra collagen peptides powder, so I put those two together. So I have at least 30 grams of protein in my loaded smoothie every day. And now I've got concentrated bone broth protein too, which is awesome. So it's a way that I can ensure I get this in every single day because again, I just went through all of these and these are all foods that you want to be eating on a regular basis. But as you can tell, like all these things were like, oh, sure, I'd love to eat more of that. Like, who doesn't want more Blueberries, dark chocolate, coffee, green tea, broccoli, curcumin. Now, if you want more information on what to eat, when to eat, and why for great skin, make sure you watch this video. You'll learn the right amount of sun exposure to protect your skin, the best kind of alcohol, foods that can cause acne, and more importantly, how to prevent skin skin breakouts and more. Be sure to join me next time for more tools, tips and techniques you can incorporate into everyday life to ensure you look and feel great and more importantly, that you're built to last.

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